Jewish Diaspora in China is a unique experience for world Jewry, as China is the only country in Far East that has had Jews living in its society for over 1,000 years. Documentary evidence shows that Jews started to live in China no later than the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The famous Kaifeng Jewish community, which was established in Kaifeng, the Chinese capital of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), is but a best-known example. However, the largest Jewish Diaspora in China appeared in modern times. In over 100 years, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, about 40,000 Jews came to China and lived in newly-established major port cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Harbin. Jewish communities composed of these Jews became an essential part of the economic and social life of those modern Chinese cities. What brought such a large number of Jews to China? Where did these people come from? How did they arrive? Were they all in China at the same time, and were there any differences among them? What happened to them after they arrived? Where are they now? The story of Jews in modern China is certainly a fascinating and up-lifting one. This course will examine these questions and more.

Reviews

MP

This was a great course. I was a History major in college, but the information that I learned in this course was a complete surprise to me.

RD

Oct 17, 2015

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Excellent class with good use of photographs and video. The professor was clear and interesting. Content was fascinating.

From the lesson

The Jewish Community in Tianjin

In this module, we will focus on the Jewish communal life in the port city of Tianjin, tracing its beginnings, development, and decline. We will also introduce some well-known Jewish individuals living in the city.

Taught By

Xin Xu

Transcript

Tianjin Jewish community also served as a hub for Jews in North China Jews never established a Jewish community in Beijing though it was the capital of China then because there was no concession in the city Their connection with Tianjin Jews was very much close to serve their religious need One of the examples is that they sent their children to go to Jewish school in Tianjin for education Tianjin Jewish community also had close relationship with Jews in Qingdao Qingdao is one of the Chinese cities open to the West People know about Qingdao Beer Because of that Qingdao served as a city where Jews also lived First few Jews who lived in Qingdao actually went there with Germans and Baghdadi Jews who were looking for business opportunities But later on most Jews who arrived in the city were Ashkenazi Jews from Harbin or directly went to Qingdao Qingdao as a port city was convenient to do business By 1940s, there were over 200 Jews in the city The Qingdao Jewish community had its own synagogue and other organizations After the end of World War II United States Navy was stationed in Qingdao Many Jewish servicemen also joined the Qingdao Jewish community Whenever there was a need Qingdao Jewish community sent a representative to go to Tianjin including sending their children to go to Jewish school for good education Tianjin Jewish community, after World War II did not develop further As a matter of fact the population dropped because of the civil war in China and also because when National Party took over the power they got rid of concessions Jews felt not safe and started to leave Their business started to decline So the population finally dropped to insignificant By the time Communists took over the power Only about a hundred people remained in the city In the next ten years they were all gone Once thrived or prosperous Jewish community by then came to its end However, people still remember their life in Tianjin especially those who went to Israel in the late 1940s They remember their life there Their connection with the city becomes stronger and stronger as time moves on

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